Daily time with God

‘Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God’ Deuteronomy 8.11

We all have moments of intimacy with God when we feel him close to us; precious times that we want to hold on to and take with us into the days ahead. At the time, we think we will never forget how we felt and what he said to us. However, before long the events of the day overwhelm us and before we know it, our moment of intimacy with God has retreated to the back of our mind.

This verse from Deuteronomy recognises this tendency in us, and the preceding verse gives us wise advice: it encourages us to give thanks by praising the Lord. It makes the point that if we are not thankful, then it is likely we will forget God and lose our intimacy with him.

One practical step to help with this is to spend a little time each morning or evening looking back over the past day or hours, giving thanks for as much as possible. As well as giving thanks for events, also give thanks for the people who have impacted you during the day and given you joy. When you do this, you will begin to see God as the source of the blessings in your life, both large and small.​It is not that God needs to be thanked, but rather that he knows that by filling your mind and heart with thankfulness, you will be changed and grow in intimacy with him, and this is a huge blessing to both you and God.